Loose-leaf device.



HEM. STURGIS. LOOSE LEAF DEVICE. APPLlflATlONillLED MAR.17, 1911.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1 H. M. STURGIS.

1 LOOSE LEAP DEVICE.

11111101111011 FILED MAIL17, 1911.

1,01 1,391. Patnted'Dec. 12,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

assassin? ivr.- sruiters,- osKANsAs CITY, MISSOURI, nssienoa or ONE-HALF TOF. E.

WEAR, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

' 'Be it kn'own 'that I, HERBERT M; STURGIIS,

- a citiznof'the Ufiited States, residing'at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and StateofMissouri," have invented certain new and-useful Improvements in Loose-Lea Devices, of 'which the' 'following is a specii icati m Thisinvention relates to loose leaf books, and has for its object the production of a device of this character which will operate efiiciently and"reliably and which embodies the desirable features of simplicity, strength, durability and attractiveness of appearance.

With this general object in view and others as hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain'-novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it'mavbefully understood reference isto be had to the accompanying draw ings, in which Figure-Li's a plan view of a loose leaf book device embodying my invention.- Fig. 7

2, is an enlarged endview of the same. Fig.

3, is a vertical sectibn on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1, on a larger scale than Fig-'2; Fig.

4, is a horizo'ntal section on the-line IV-IV of Fig. 3,-with the device inverted and on a smaller scale than Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a vertical section on the line VV of Fig. 1.

'FigQG', is an edge view of a partof one of the rocker plates. Fig. 7, is a detail per spective view'of' apart of one of the rocker plates; Fig. 8, is a transverse section of apartof the device with the hooks open, the

section cbeing on the line VIIL-VIII of Fig. 1.Fig. 9, is a detail perspective view ends of the bodytand provided with tongues tions o'fthe hooks terminating in depending lips 3, slightly beyondthe ends, The plate i- 'is also "providedat .eachzend centrally between the-lips, with-notches l4.

5 indicatesend'pl'ates fitting against the 6 heldinpositionby the lips 3 and saidtohgue's, the latter extending upward through the notches 4 and fitting. flatly upon LOOSE-LEAF nEvIcEL,

specification of Letters Patent Patented Dec. 12, 1911. Application filed March 17, 1911. Serial No. 615,086.

Formed in said loops and m communication with the openings'9 are openings 10, and i adjacent to openings 9, the rockerplates are providedwith slightly elongated transverse openings 11. 7

12 are parallel rods confined within loops 8 and terminating in semi-circular hooks 13 which project outwardly through openings 9 and upwardly through the elongated open ings 11,'the hooks bearingagainst' the ends ofthe said openings, and being held reliably in rigid relation to the rocker plates, so that when the latter swing, downwardly, opposite hooks will engage at their free ends and const-itute rings, the parts being so proportioned that such engagement limits the downward movement of-the rocker plates, as shown by dotted lines in Figs. 3, and'to maintain the ends of said hooks in perfect alinement when closed, one'hook of each pair is preferably formed with a V-shaped notch 14,-.a'nd the other with a V-shaped end 15, to accurately fit said notch.

To insure synchronous and uniform movement of the rocker plates and to .limittheir upward movement, an inverted-V shaped stop block 16 fits snugly in each pairof op-- posite openings 10 and underlies the rocker plates and its flatly thereagainst when the latter occupy their raised positions, that is, when the rings are open to permit a perforated sheet (not shown) to be placed on or removed from one set of the hooks.

The angle. at which the upper or inclined,

faces of the blocks extend determines the inclination of the rocker plates when elevated, that is to say when the inclined surfaces of the blocks bear flatly against the plates the latter. are incapable of "further upward movement. The blocks fit so snugly orhighest point with a clearly-defined rib 16 which determines the distance which the ends of the stop blocks shall project into the'openings 10 of the rocker plates.

The loops 8 of the rocker-plates. are held in rolling engagement at all times by the pressure of a series of springs 17 which fit flatly against the under sides of said plates and hear at their longitudinal edges against the rods 12 and the hooks 2. In the preferred construction, these springs are slightly narrower for the greater part of their length than the spaces between the rods and said hooks, and at their ends are widened at 18 so as to bear against the hooks, the said widened ends being bifurcated at 19 so as to be capable of narrowing under pressure applied on the hooks to either open or close the same. It is manifest the plates "are held in either position by the resiliency of the springs 17, by reference to Fig. 3.

To open the rings the operator presses or pulls outwardly on the hooks. In so doing the rocker plates are moved upward. and the springs yield by narrowin at their ends until their inner edges pass a ove the horizontal plane of their outer edges. As this occurs, the springs instantly rexpand and continue the opening movement of the rocker plates until the inclined faces of the blocks 16 fit flatly against the under sides of the rocker plates, in which position the parts will remain until suflicient pressure is applied upon the hooks to overcome the resistance of the springs and return the parts to their original positions.

In the operation of the device, the body may be absolutely rigid, the springs being relied upon to hold the rocker plates depressed with the hooks in closed position or elevated with the hooks in open position,

' that is to say, the rocker plates when occupying the same horizontal plane are subjected to no inward pressure by the 'hooks 2 of the body and are held in rolling contact at their inner edges solely by the pressure of the springs.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a loose leaf device embodying the features of advantage enumerated," and while I have illustrated and described-the preferred construction, I

, wish itto be understood that I do not desire to be restricted to the exact detailsof construction shown and described as obvious ment at their free ends to onstitute' rings,

springs underlying said plates and exerting pressure in opposite directions against the hooks of the base plate and the inner portions of the rocker plates to hold the latter pressed inwardly and in rolling contact at their inner edges and normally out of engagement at their outer edges with the hooks of the base plate, and means connecting the inner edges of the rocker plates together to insure synchronous and uniform movement thereof when the outer ends of their hooks are caused to approach or recede from each other.

2. In a loose leaf device a channeled base plate formed with inwardly opening hooks at its side margins, a pair of rocker plates arranged with their outer edges within said hooks and their inner edges provided with.

loops in rolling contact, a plurality of hooks carried by said plates adapted for, engagement at their free ends to constitute rings, springs underlying said plates and exerting pressure in opposite directions against the hooks of the base plate and the inner portions of the rocker plates to hold the latter pressed inwardly and in rolling contact at their inner edges and normally out of engagement at their outer edges with the hooks of the base plate, means connecting the inner edges of the rocker plates together to insure synchronous and uniform movement thereof when the outer ends of their hooks are caused to approach or recede from each other, and end plates secured to the ends of the base plate outward of the ends of the rocker plates.

3. In a loose leaf device, a channeled base plate formed with inwardly opening hooks at its side margins, a pair of rocker plates arranged with their outer edges within said hooks and their inner edges provided with.

loops in rolling contact, a plurality of hooks carried by said plates adapted for engagement at their free ends to constitute rings, springs underlying said plates and exerting pressure in opposite directions against the hooks of the base plate and the inner por tions of the rocker plates to hold the latter pressed inwardly and in rolling contact at their inneredges and normally out of engagement at their outer edges with the hooks of the base plate, means connecting the inner edges of the rocker plates together to insure synchronous and uniform movement thereof when the outer ends of their hooks are caused to approach or recede from each other, and end plates fitting against the ends of the base plate outward of the ends .of the'rocker plates; the hooks of the base plate having depending lips engaging the outer sides of the said end plates.

4. In a loose leaf device, a channeled base plate formed at its side margins with inwardly-opening hooks provided at their ends with'depending lips, and provided in its roineei ends between said hooks with notches, end plates fitting against the ends of the base plate and engaged at their outer sides by said lips and provided with tongues extending up through said notches and bearing upon the upper side of the base plate, a pair of rocker plates arranged with their outer edges within said hooks and their inner edges provided with loops in rolling contact, a plurality of hooks carried by said plates and adapted for engagement at their free ends to constituterings, springs underlylng sald plates and exerting pressure in opposite directions against the hooks of the base plate and the inner portions of the rocker plates to hold the latter pressed in wardly and in rolling contact at their inner edges and normally out of engagement at their outer edges with the hooks of the base plate, and means connecting the inner edges of the rocker plates together to insure synchronous v and uniform movement thereot' when the outer ends of their hooks are caused to. approach or recede from each other. 7

5. In a loose leaf device, a channeled base plate formed with inwardly opening hooks at its side margins, a pair of rocker plates arranged with their outer edges within said hooks and their inner edges provided with loops in rolling contact, a plurality of hooks carried by said rocker plates adapted for engagementat their free ends to constitute rings, springs underlying said plates and exerting pressure 'in opposite directions against the hooks of the base plate and the inner portions of the rocker plates to hold the latter pressed inwardly and in rolling contact at their inner edges and normally out of engagement at their outer edges with the hooks of the base plate, and a plurality of transversely extending blocks extending through the inner edges of the rocker plates to compel the sameto move together; saidblocks having upwardly converging facesto fit flatly against the undersides of the rocker plates when the latter are elevated and prevent further upward movement thereof. I

6. A loose leaf device, comprising a channeled base plate having inwardly-opening hooks at its side margins, rocker plates fitting at their outer edges within said hooks and formed at their inner edges with longitudinally extending loops provided at suitable points with openings, inverted-V- shaped blocks arranged with their apices the plane of the contact of the loops and projecting through the openings of the latter loops of the rocker plates and the books of the base plate to hold said loops in rolling contact. r

7. A loose leaf device, comprising a channeled base plate having inwardly-opening hooks at its side margins, rocker plates fit-- ting at their outer edges within said hooks and formed at their inner edges with longitudinally-extending loops provided at suit able pointswith openings, opposite hooks rigid with said rocker plates and adapted to fittogether at their free ends to constitute rings, inverted-V-shaped blocks projecting through the openings of the loops and each provided between said loops and above the axial centers thereof with a rib incapable of slipping-through said openings, and springs holding the loops in rolling contact.

8. In a loose leaf device, a channeled base plate having inwardly-opening marginal hooks terminating in downturned lips beyond the ends of the body of the base plate and end plates fitting against the ends of the body and between the same and the lips of said hooks;

9. In a loose leafdevice, a channeled base plate having notches in its ends and inwardly-open1ng hooks at its side margins terminating beyond the ends of the body ofthe base-plate in downturned lips and end plates fitting against the ends ofthe body and springs interposed between the and clamped thereagainst by said lips and vand bearing against the opposite ends of said openings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the' resence of two witnesses.

HERBERT M. STU'RGIS.

Witnesses:

HELEN' C. Romans, G. Y. Tnonrn. 

